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| Westport to Kenmore Calendar Grid (September 29th through October 4th) |
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| Kenmare to Cobh Calendar Grid (October 5th through October 10th) |
I knew one day I would be in Ireland. When my son, Jim, approached me about planning a trip with him and his wife, Liz, I felt in my heart the timing was right. I had different mobility issues over the last three years and now with that behind me it was just the motivation I needed to move forward.
This blog is a way to share my watercolor sketches of this amazing trip as well as some journaling over the sixteen days.
Enjoy! And always set your aim on things you'd like to do in life. This would never have happened if I didn't have the goal to get there and if there weren't people in my life who help to make it possible.
September 29th ~ Had a great time with Jeff, Doris, Amelia, Olivia, Theo and Diana last night. A wonderful meal and then we watched the old 70's movie 'Rocky II". Woke up at 4:30 a.m. and Jeff drove me to the Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
On the way, Jeff and I were riding along the country road leading to Route 3 in the pre-dawn hours, when suddenly three deer came from the right and lept in front of the car. Jeff was able to avoid them and they continue on across the roadway into the woods on the other side. We couldn't get over how everything could have changed in an instant if we had hit them. I sent up a silent 'thank you' and felt, once more, that my being in Ireland was meant to be.
I just made it to the gate as my flight was boarding ~ My assigned seat was 1C and I had the nicest man sitting next to me who it turned out was a graduate from UVA and knew the whole area. He was a real Thomas Jefferson fan and the 45 minute trip to JFK went by quickly.
As I was coming down the ramp, I saw Jim waving. The excitement really came home ~ I was really going to IRELAND! Liz and Jim packed a nice lunch and we settled in at JFK to wait for our 6:30 p.m. flight on Aer Lingus to the Shannon Airport.
September 30th ~ The first person I thought of when we landed in Ireland was my father. I was happy that he was the first person who came to mind when I first arrived in Ireland. We arrived at Shannon Airport in the early dawn after a red-eye flight, and while we were driving along the winding roads heading toward Westport, the sun began to rise and the unfolding scenery was beautiful. One thing that made a great impression on me was the abundance of stone walls, of all types and sizes, that the Irish had built down through the years. It reminded me of the stone wall my father had built in front of our family homestead.
Arrived at Shannon Airport at about 5 a.m. and picked up the rental car for the two hour ride to Westport. The winding roads were very narrow, and driving was on the opposite side of what we're used to in the US. Jim was used to driving in London, so it came naturally to him and we all settled back to enjoy the beautiful scenery around us. Going through Cong, we hit a rut and heard a loud bang. When we pulled over, the front left tire was flat, and Jim and Liz quickly worked together and changed it so we could continue on the way. As they were changing it, a herd of cows that were grazing in the distance started to amble over to the car to see what we were doing. Before we knew it we had a 'mooing' audience.
Later, when we arrived in Westport, we were able to get the temporary tire replaced and headed over to The West Restaurant for my first Guinness and lunch.
This blog is a way to share my watercolor sketches of this amazing trip as well as some journaling over the sixteen days.
Enjoy! And always set your aim on things you'd like to do in life. This would never have happened if I didn't have the goal to get there and if there weren't people in my life who help to make it possible.
September 29th ~ Had a great time with Jeff, Doris, Amelia, Olivia, Theo and Diana last night. A wonderful meal and then we watched the old 70's movie 'Rocky II". Woke up at 4:30 a.m. and Jeff drove me to the Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
On the way, Jeff and I were riding along the country road leading to Route 3 in the pre-dawn hours, when suddenly three deer came from the right and lept in front of the car. Jeff was able to avoid them and they continue on across the roadway into the woods on the other side. We couldn't get over how everything could have changed in an instant if we had hit them. I sent up a silent 'thank you' and felt, once more, that my being in Ireland was meant to be.
I just made it to the gate as my flight was boarding ~ My assigned seat was 1C and I had the nicest man sitting next to me who it turned out was a graduate from UVA and knew the whole area. He was a real Thomas Jefferson fan and the 45 minute trip to JFK went by quickly.
As I was coming down the ramp, I saw Jim waving. The excitement really came home ~ I was really going to IRELAND! Liz and Jim packed a nice lunch and we settled in at JFK to wait for our 6:30 p.m. flight on Aer Lingus to the Shannon Airport.
September 30th ~ The first person I thought of when we landed in Ireland was my father. I was happy that he was the first person who came to mind when I first arrived in Ireland. We arrived at Shannon Airport in the early dawn after a red-eye flight, and while we were driving along the winding roads heading toward Westport, the sun began to rise and the unfolding scenery was beautiful. One thing that made a great impression on me was the abundance of stone walls, of all types and sizes, that the Irish had built down through the years. It reminded me of the stone wall my father had built in front of our family homestead.
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| All over Ireland we saw stone fences |
Arrived at Shannon Airport at about 5 a.m. and picked up the rental car for the two hour ride to Westport. The winding roads were very narrow, and driving was on the opposite side of what we're used to in the US. Jim was used to driving in London, so it came naturally to him and we all settled back to enjoy the beautiful scenery around us. Going through Cong, we hit a rut and heard a loud bang. When we pulled over, the front left tire was flat, and Jim and Liz quickly worked together and changed it so we could continue on the way. As they were changing it, a herd of cows that were grazing in the distance started to amble over to the car to see what we were doing. Before we knew it we had a 'mooing' audience.
Later, when we arrived in Westport, we were able to get the temporary tire replaced and headed over to The West Restaurant for my first Guinness and lunch.
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| A view from our apartment while we were in Westport |
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| I made a commitment to myself that i'd have a half-pint of Guinness everyday! |
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